Convertible excavator



April 1939- J. A. KUHSEL 2,153,719

CONVERTIBLE EXCAVATOR I Filed Aug. 11. 1956 Fig.

Patented Apr. 11, 1939 UNITED-STATES PATENT OFFICE Joseph Albert Kuhsel, Altona, Germany Application August 11, 1936, Serial No. 95,311

Germany September I, 1935 5 Claims.

My invention relates to power-operated excavators, and the particular object ofthe present invention is to so design a bucket-wheel excavator that it will excavate along any desired curve or slope.

In the appended drawing in which I have diagrammatically shown, byway of example, two embodiments of my invention, the two figures, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, are side elevations. My invention, however, is not restricted to these, the main inventive idea. residing in the replaceability of a bucket wheel as known in the art, with a shovel,

grabbing crane or similar machine.

In the drawing, there is indicated at i the lower truck with its roller track, while .2 designates the revolving frame of a convertible shovel carrying power plant 3 and the hoist gear. For instance, as shown in Fig. 1" the boom 5 maybe pivoted, instead of the standard shovel boom, to fulcrum 4, the end of the boom bearing bucket wheel 1 which is mounted to rotate round its shaft 6. The boom is held by rope 8 which passes over sheave 9 carried by frame I and sheave I I, carried by frame l2, to drum I3 of the hoist. When this drum is operated, the bucket wheel I can be lifted or lowered round fulcrum 4 of the boom. The bucket wheel is also rotated from the hoist. For instance, this could be done by the transmission of the rotation of a shaft provided in the machine, as for instance at l4, through bevel gears to shaft 15, and by another set of gears to bucket wheel 1. In order to be able to follow the distance variation between center line 6. of the bucket wheel and the center line of shaft 84, the shaft I rigidly held in its axial direction could be grooved longitudinally, asshown at ,l'l in Fig. 1, so that shaft I5 can slide through bevel gear It in accordance with eventual length variations. The same effect could, of course, be obtained by shaft [5 which transmits the torque being lengthened or shortened like a telescope. The bevel gear may be replaced with a chain drive, and the diflerences'in length which occur when the bucket wheel is lifted and lowered, could be taken up by idlers. Besides, differences in length can be completely avoided by the driving torque from shaft I4 being transmitted for instance, by means of bevel gears or chains, to fulcrum 4 at the base of the boom, and from this point to the bucket wheel. The design of the bucket wheel in itself is well-known, and forms no part of this invention. The material dumped from the bucket wheel is transported, according to a well-known method, by means of a conveyor 25 which could for instance be arranged in such a way that it wards or sideways.

Whenever, for instance with the embodiment I shown in Fig. 1, soil is to be dug up to a certain height above ground, the curve aa will be formed, as the bucket wheel can only move around fulcrum 4 of the boom. From this it can be seen that this attachment permits only of digging material up to a comparatively limited height, as otherwise the'upper part of the bank would hang over and bring on a continuous risk of avalanching. Further, this attachment will not permit of excavating a slope under a predetermined angle without simultaneous propelling of the excavator truck in the direction of its boom. The arrangement shown in Fig. 2, however, will permit of digging, within wide limits, all desired curves and slope angles between the horizontal and the vertical, even without a change in the position of the excavator. This is obtained by the provision, at fulcrum 4 on frame 2, of a boom i9 the top of which is held by ropes 2|. In this connection an existing boom, as for instance that of the shovel attachment, may be used. The boom extension or bucket wheel arm 22 is arranged between the fulcrum and the top of boom I 9, at the point 20. The bucket wheel and its aim are held by rope- 23 which passes over sheave 24 on boom ill to drum 25 of the hoist, and it can be lifted or lowered by means of the drum. Similarly, the boom l9 may be rocked in its vertical plane by operating drum l3 which accommodates rope 2| passing over sheave II.

Now, by the operation of ropes 23, the bucket wheel I can be swung round fulcrum 20; in this way, the digging curve b-b will be obtained. As will be seen, the feature that fulcrum 20 can be raised to a higher level, will permit of digging into the'bank up to a greater height without a deeper undercut. If drum 25 is actuated at the same time as drum l3, and if the boom I9 is thus swung in its vertical plane, it is, for instance, possible to excavate a horizontal plane 0-0 by bringing the boom' and wheel arm into the position as shown by dash-dotted lines, thus shifting fulcrum 8 of the bucket wheel f om d to e. Similarly, by a displacement, for instance, from point e, and the simultaneous lifting of the boom and bucket wheel, a vertical wall can be dug as well as all intermediate slope angles. It will even be possible, by a suitable coordination of the two drums I3 and 25, as for instance by means of a'step gear, to dig "any desired curve automatically, so that even without any particular attentionfrom the operator. 9. straight bank or a level plane can be obtained. The same eflfect is accomplished by a selection of the number of the diiierent ropes of pulleys I i and 23 in such a way, or by arranging their points of attack of the boom or. wheel arm at such a distance from fulcrums 4 and/or 20, that the bucket wheel automatically performs, upon the simultaneous operation of drums i3 and 25, a predetermined curve. Finally, the embodiment in Fig. 2 will permit of individual strata being extracted, as

shown by the shading in Fig. 2. When the booml& is lowered further, this attachment will also permit of digging beloweground level.

Likewise in this case, the bucket wheel I can be'driven by bevel gears actuated by a shaft provided in the m'achineand from which the force is,

-transmitted. The diflerences in length occurring between points l4 and can be compensated for as has been above described; similarly,

nism and said bucket wheel for rotating the latter, and means whereby the' effective length of' said shaft is varied responsive to swinging of the boom to maintain an operative connection betweenthe driving mechanism and the bucket wheel for rotating the latter.

2. In a power-operated apparatus, a revolving platform, a swinging boom provided thereon, a rotatable bucket wheel excavating tool carried by said boom, a hoisting means for said boom and a driving gear including a shaft and gear wheels for operating the excavating tool, the said shaft being'longitudinally movable in'one of said ear wheels. Y

3. In apower-operated apparatus, a revolving platform, a vertically swingable bo'om provided thereon, a hoisting mechanism for said boom, a second boom pivoted to said first-mentioned boom so as to swing in the same vertical plane therewith, ar'otatable bucket wheel excavating tool carried by said second boom, and a driving means for rotating said bucket wheel.

'4. In a power-operated apparatus, a revolving platform, a vertically swingable boom provided thereon, a hoisting mechanism for said boom, a second boom pivoted to said first mentioned boom so as to swing therewith in the same vertical plane, a bucket wheel excavating tool carried by said second boom, a driving means for rotating said excavating tool, a conveyor in operative association with said bucket-wheel and a drivin connection between said bucket wheel and said conveyor, said conveyor being pivoted to said second boom so that its rear discharge end is free to swing in a vertical plane.

5. In a power-operated apparatus, a revolving platform, a vertically swingable boom provided thereon, a hoisting mechanismior said boom, a second boom pivotedto said first mentioned boom so as to swing in the same vertical plane therewith, a rotatable bucket wheel excavating tool carried by said second boom, a driving means for rotating said excavating. tool, and means for separately hoisting said booms thereby permitting their swinging motions to be varied sons to enable any desired curve or slope to be excavated by said bucket-wheel.

JOSEPH Amnn'r KUHSEL. 

